Autonomous floor cleaning system

ABSTRACT

A floor cleaning system includes multiple autonomous floor cleaners or robots. The robots are configured to share a mapping, navigation, and/or stain sensing system. A first robot carries the mapping, navigation, and/or stain sensing system, and a second robot receives information from the mapping, navigation, and/or stain sensing system of the first robot. The system can include at least one dry vacuuming robot and at least one deep cleaning robot.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/994,216, now allowed, which claims the benefit of U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application No. 62/515,300, filed Jun. 5, 2017, all of which areincorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND

Autonomous or robotic floor cleaners can move without the assistance ofa user or operator in order to clean a floor surface. For example, thefloor cleaner can be configured to sweep dirt (including dust, hair, andother debris) into a collection bin carried on the floor cleaner and/orto sweep dirt using a cloth which collects the dirt. The floor cleanercan move randomly about a surface while cleaning the floor surface oruse a mapping/navigation system for guided navigation about the surface.Some floor cleaners are further configured to apply and extract liquidfor deep cleaning carpets, rugs, and other floor surfaces.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

An aspect of the present disclosure relates to autonomous floor cleaningsystem, comprising a first floor cleaning robot, comprising a drivesystem for autonomously moving the first floor cleaning robot over thesurface to be cleaned, a stain sensing system for detecting a stain, anda beacon deployment system for selectively deploying a beacon at thelocation of the stain, a second floor cleaning robot, comprising acontroller for controlling the operation of the second floor cleaningrobot and a drive system for autonomously moving the second floorcleaning robot over the surface to be cleaned based on inputs from thecontroller and wherein the first floor cleaning robot is configured todetect the stain via the stain sensing system and deploy the beacon atthe location of the detected stain and the beacon is operably coupled tothe controller such that the beacon guides the second floor cleaningrobot to the location.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an autonomous floor cleaning systemaccording to various aspects described herein.

FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of an autonomous vacuum cleaner ofthe system of FIG. 1 according to various aspects described herein.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of an autonomous vacuum cleaner of thesystem of FIG. 1 according to various aspects described herein.

FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of an autonomous deep cleaner of thesystem of FIG. 1 according to various aspects described herein.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of an autonomous deep cleaner of thesystem of FIG. 1 according to various aspects described herein.

FIG. 6 is a perspective illustration of a method of operation accordingto various aspects described herein.

FIG. 7 is a perspective illustration of a method of operation accordingto various aspects described herein.

FIG. 8 is perspective illustration of a method of operation according tovarious aspects described herein.

FIG. 9 is a perspective illustration of a method of operation accordingto various aspects described herein.

FIG. 10 is a perspective illustration of a method of operation accordingto various aspects described herein.

FIG. 11A is a schematic illustration of a beacon deployment system forthe dry vacuuming robot, with the beacon in a retained position.

FIG. 11B is a schematic illustration of the beacon deployment system ofFIG. 11A for the dry vacuuming robot, with the beacon in a releasedposition.

FIG. 12 is a schematic top view of a beacon deployment system for thedry vacuuming robot according to various aspects described herein.

FIG. 13 is a schematic illustration of a beacon deployment system forthe dry vacuuming robot according to various aspects described herein.

FIG. 14 is a schematic of an autonomous floor cleaning system accordingto various aspects described herein.

FIG. 15 is a schematic of an autonomous floor cleaning system accordingto various aspects described herein.

FIG. 16 is a flow chart depicting a method of operation using the floorcleaning system according to various aspects described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to a floor cleaningsystem that includes multiple unattended, autonomous floor cleaners, orrobot cleaners to autonomously clean floor surfaces, including softsurfaces such as carpets and rugs, and hard surfaces such as hardwood,tile, and linoleum. The robots are configured to share a mapping,navigation, and/or stain sensing system. A first robot carries themapping, navigation, and/or stain sensing system, and a second robotreceives information from the mapping, navigation, and/or stain sensingsystem of the first robot.

One robot may be a dry vacuuming robot that includes a vacuum collectionsystem for generating a working air flow for removing dirt from thesurface to be cleaned and storing the dirt in a collection space on thevacuum cleaner mounted in or carried on an autonomously moveable unitAnother robot may be a wet, or deep cleaning robot that includes a fluidsupply system for storing cleaning fluid and delivering the cleaningfluid to the surface to be cleaned and a fluid recovery system forremoving the cleaning fluid and debris from the surface to be cleanedand storing the recovered cleaning fluid and debris mounted in orcarried on an autonomously moveable unit.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an autonomous floor cleaning system 8according to aspects described herein. The system 8 is a multi-robotsystem 8 including at least one dry vacuuming robot 100 and at least onedeep cleaning robot 200. Rather than duplicate expensive mapping andnavigation components, the robots 100, 200 are configured to share theseparticular high-cost resources. The system 8 uses a primary/secondaryprotocol, with one robot (the primary) controlling another robot (thesecondary). The primary robot comprises full mapping, navigation, andstain sensing technology and hardware. The secondary robot however, canbe a less intelligent robot without those features, and instead isconfigured to leverage the mapping, navigation, and stain sensing of theprimary robot. This offers an autonomous floor cleaning system 8 with agreater range of cleaning capabilities, while avoiding duplication ofcertain components, and therefore provides a lower cost solutioncompared to two full-feature robots.

In one example, the dry vacuuming robot 100 is the primary and the deepcleaning robot 200 is the secondary. This configuration providesmulti-function cleaning capability, but reduces the overall cost andcomplexity of the deep cleaning robot 200. The deep cleaning robot 200operates in coordination with the dry vacuuming robot 100 to use theintelligence of the dry vacuuming robot 100, including its mapping,navigation, and stain sensing systems. In one example, the intelligenceof a dry vacuuming robot 100 can be used to locate and identify spotsand stains, and a simpler, specialized deep cleaning robot 200 can beinstructed to clean these spots and stains.

The robots 100, 200 of the system 8 can share a common docking station10 for recharging the robots 100, 200 or servicing the robots 100, 200in other ways. In one example, the docking station 10 can be connectedto a household power supply, such as an A/C power outlet 14, and caninclude a converter 12 for converting the AC voltage into DC voltage forrecharging the power supply on-board each robot 100, 200. The dockingstation 10 can also include various sensors and emitters (not shown) formonitoring robot status, enabling auto-docking functionality,communicating with each robot 100, 200, as well as features for networkand/or Bluetooth connectivity.

An artificial barrier system 20 can also be provided with the system 8for containing the robots 100, 200 within a user-determined boundary.The dry vacuuming robot 100 can be configured to directly interact withthe artificial barrier system 20, while the deep cleaning robot 200 canbe configured to only indirectly interact with the artificial barriersystem 20 via the dry vacuuming robot 100.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of one embodiment of an autonomous vacuumcleaner, or dry vacuuming robot 100 for the autonomous floor cleaningsystem 8. The dry vacuuming robot 100 mounts the components of variousfunctional systems of the vacuum cleaner in an autonomously moveableunit or housing 112, including components of a vacuum collection systemfor generating a working air flow for removing dirt (including dust,hair, and other debris) from the surface to be cleaned and storing thedirt in a collection space on the vacuum cleaner, a drive system forautonomously moving the vacuum cleaner over the surface to be cleaned,and a navigation/mapping system for guiding the movement of the dryvacuuming robot 100 over the surface to be cleaned, generating andstoring maps of the surface to be cleaned, and recording status or otherenvironmental variable information. The autonomous or robotic vacuumcleaner can have similar properties to the autonomous or robotic vacuumcleaner described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No.2018/0078106, published Mar. 22, 2018, and is incorporated herein byreference.

A controller 128 is operably coupled with the various function systemsof dry vacuuming robot 100 for controlling its operation. The controller128 can be a microcontroller unit (MCU) that contains at least onecentral processing units (CPUs).

The vacuum collection system can include a working air path through theunit having an air inlet and an air outlet, a suction nozzle 114 whichis positioned to confront the surface to be cleaned and defines the airinlet, a suction source 116 in fluid communication with the suctionnozzle 114 for generating a working air stream, and a collector or dirtbin 118 for collecting dirt from the working airstream for laterdisposal. The suction nozzle 114 can define the air inlet of the workingair path. The suction source 116 can be a vacuum motor carried by theunit 112, fluidly upstream of the air outlet, and can define a portionof the working air path. The dirt bin 118 can also define a portion ofthe working air path, and comprise a dirt bin inlet in fluidcommunication with the air inlet. A separator 120 can be formed in aportion of the dirt bin 118 for separating fluid and entrained dirt fromthe working airstream. Some non-limiting examples of the separatorinclude one or more cyclone separators, a filter screen, a foam filter,a HEPA filter, a filter bag, or combinations thereof. Optionally, apre-motor filter 117 and/or a post-motor filter 119 can be provided aswell (FIG. 3).

Additionally, the dry vacuuming robot 100 can include a beacon retainer101 that can be configured to retrieve a beacon or secure a beacon tothe dry vacuuming robot 100. The beacon retainer 101 can selectivelyrelease the beacon at a desired target location.

Turning to FIG. 3, at least one agitator or brush 140 can be providedfor agitating the surface to be cleaned. The brush 140 can be abrushroll mounted for rotation about a substantially horizontal axis,relative to the surface over which the unit moves. A drive assemblyincluding a separate, dedicated brush motor 142 can be provided withinthe unit 112 to drive the brush 140. Alternatively, the brush 140 can bedriven by the vacuum motor 116. Other embodiment of agitators are alsopossible, including one or more stationary or non-moving brush(es), orone or more brush(es) that rotate about a substantially vertical axis.

The drive system can include drive wheels 130 for driving the unit 112across a surface to be cleaned. The drive wheels 130 can be operated bya common drive motor or individual drive motors 131 coupled with thedrive wheels 130 by a transmission (not shown), which may include a geartrain assembly or another suitable transmission. The drive system canreceive inputs from the controller 128 for driving the unit 112 across afloor, based on inputs from the navigation/mapping system. The drivewheels 130 can be driven in in a forward or reverse direction in orderto move the unit 112 forwardly or rearwardly. Furthermore, the drivewheels 130 can be operated simultaneously or individually in order toturn the unit 112 in a desired direction.

The controller 128 can receive input from the navigation/mapping systemfor directing the drive system to move the dry vacuuming robot 100 overthe surface to be cleaned. The navigation/mapping system can include amemory 168 that stores maps for navigation and inputs from varioussensors 132, 134 (FIG. 2), which is used to guide the movement of thedry vacuuming robot 100. For example, wheel encoders 172 can be placedon the drive shafts of the wheel motors 131, and are configured tomeasure the distance traveled. This measurement can be provided as inputto the controller 128.

Motor drivers 144, 146, 148 can be provided for controlling the vacuummotor 116, brush motor 142, and wheel motors 131, respectively, and actas an interface between the controller 128 and the motors 116, 142, and131. The motor drivers 144, 146, 148 may be an integrated circuit chip(IC). For the wheel motors 131, one motor driver 148 can control themotors 131 simultaneously or individually.

The motor drivers 144, 146, 148 for the vacuum motor 116, brush motor142, and wheel motors 131 can be electrically coupled to a batterymanagement system 150 which can include a rechargeable battery orbattery pack 152. In one example, the battery pack 152 can includelithium ion batteries. Charging contacts for the battery pack 152 can beprovided on the exterior of the unit 112. The docking station 10 forreceiving the unit 112 for charging can be provided with correspondingcharging contacts. In one example, the charging contacts provided on thedry vacuuming robot 100 can be an electrical connector such as a DC jack154.

The controller 128 is further operably coupled with a user interface(UI) 124 for receiving inputs from a user. The user interface 124 can beused to select an operation cycle for the dry vacuuming robot 100 orotherwise control the operation of the dry vacuuming robot 100. The userinterface 124 can have a display, such as an LED display 156, labeledindicator lights, or illuminated icons, for providing visualnotifications to the user. Examples of visual notifications can includeindications of operational status and diagnostic information such asbattery 152 and/or filter life status, WiFi or Bluetooth connectivitystatus, and various error and fault codes. A display driver 158 can beprovided for controlling the display 156, and acts as an interfacebetween the controller 128 and the display 156. The display driver 158may be an integrated circuit chip (IC).

The user interface 124 can further have one or more switch(es) 126, 127that are actuated by the user to provide input to the controller 128 tocontrol the operation of various components of the dry vacuuming robot100. For example, one of the switches 126, 127 can be a suction powerswitch that can be selectively closed by the user to activate the vacuummotor 116. Another one of the switches 126, 127 can be coupled with aconfigurable display to select operating mode, set power level orruntime, input cleaning schedule, configure notifications, or inputpasswords, for example. A switch driver 125 can be provided forcontrolling the switches 126, 127, and acts as an interface between thecontroller 128 and the switches 126, 127.

The dry vacuuming robot 100 can further be provided with a speaker 160for providing audible notifications to the user. Examples of audiblenotifications include announcements such as beeps, tones or aprerecorded voice. A speaker driver 162 can be provided for controllingthe speaker 160, and acts as an interface between the controller 128 andthe speaker 160. The speaker driver 162 may be an integrated circuitchip (IC).

The controller 128 can further be operably coupled with the varioussensors 132, 134 (FIG. 2) for receiving input about the environment andcan use the sensor input to control the operation of the dry vacuumingrobot 100. The sensor input can further be stored in the memory 168and/or used to develop maps for navigation, as previously described.Some exemplary sensors are illustrated in FIG. 3, although it isunderstood that not all sensors shown may be provided, additionalsensors not shown may be provided, and that the sensors can be providedin any combination.

The dry vacuuming robot 100 can include a positioning or localizationsystem having one or more sensor(s) for determining the position of therobot relative to objects and its location within an environment. Thelocalization system can utilize visual odometry further comprising animager 164 and an image processor 166 for capturing successive images ofthe environment and comparing the position of spatial objects ortransition points on the images to determine the relative position ofthe dry vacuuming robot 100 within the environment. The localizationsystem can further include one or more infrared (IR) obstacle sensors170 for distance and position sensing. The obstacle sensors 170 can bemounted to the housing of the autonomous unit 112, such as in the frontof the unit 112 to determine the distance to obstacles in front of thedry vacuuming robot 100. Input from the obstacle sensors 170 can be usedto slow down and/or adjust the course of the unit 112 when objects aredetected. Additional sensors can be incorporated into the positioningand localization system, such as at least one of, or a combination of, acamera, wheel encoder 172, laser rangefinder, or RF based time of flightsensor, for determining the position and location of the unit.

Bump sensors 174 can also be provided for determining front or sideimpacts to the unit 112. The bump sensors 174 may be integrated with abumper on the housing of the unit 112. Output signals from the bumpsensors 174 provide inputs to the controller 128 for selecting anobstacle avoidance algorithm.

In addition to the obstacle 170 and bump sensors 174, the localizationsystem can include additional sensors, including a side wall sensor 176,one or more cliff sensor(s) 180, and/or an accelerometer 178. The sidewall or wall following sensor 176 can be located near the side of theunit 112 and can include a side-facing optical position sensor thatprovides distance feedback and controls the unit 112 so that the unit112 can follow near a wall without contacting the wall. The cliffsensors 180 can be bottom-facing optical position sensors that providedistance feedback and control the unit 112 so that the unit 112 canavoid excessive drops such as stairwells or ledges. In addition tooptical sensors, the wall following 176 and cliff sensors 180 can bemechanical or ultrasonic sensors.

The accelerometer 178 can be an integrated inertial sensor located onthe controller 128 and can be a nine-axis gyroscope or accelerometer tosense linear, rotational and magnetic field acceleration. Theaccelerometer 178 can use acceleration input data to calculate andcommunicate change in velocity and pose to the controller 128 fornavigating the dry vacuuming robot 100 around the surface to be cleaned.

The dry vacuuming robot 100 can further include one or more lift-upsensor(s) 182, which detect when the unit 112 is lifted off the surfaceto be cleaned, such as when the user picks up the dry vacuuming robot100. This information is provided as an input to the controller 128,which will halt operation of the vacuum motor 116, brush motor 142,and/or wheel motors 131. The lift-up sensors 182 may also detect whenthe unit 112 is in contact with the surface to be cleaned, such as whenthe user places the dry vacuuming robot 100 back on the ground; uponsuch input, the controller 128 may resume operation of the vacuum motor116, brush motor 142, and/or wheel motors 131.

The dry vacuuming robot 100 can further include one or more sensor(s)184 for detecting the presence of the dirt bin 118 and/or the filters.For example, one or more pressure sensor(s) for detecting the weight ofthe dirt bin 118 and/or the filters can be provided. This information isprovided as an input to the controller 128, which may prevent operationof the dry vacuuming robot 100 until the dirt bin 118 and/or filters areproperly installed. The controller 128 may also direct the display 156or speaker 160 to provide a notification to the user that the dirt bin118 and/or filters are missing.

The dry vacuuming robot 100 can further include one or more sensor(s)for detecting a condition of the surface to be cleaned, which caninclude detecting a stain. For example, the dry vacuuming robot can beprovided with an infrared dirt sensor 185, a stain sensor 186, an odorsensor 187, and/or a wet mess sensor 188. In one example, an infrared(IR) dirt sensor 185 can comprise an IR emitter and an IR receiverpositioned in the working air path for monitoring the relative amount ofdirt entrained in the working airflow based on changes in the intensityof the IR signal received by the receiver. In another example, a stainsensor 186 can comprise one or more color spectrum image sensor(s)configured to monitor color change of the surface over an area.Optionally, the stain sensor 186 can include a light sensitive stainsensing system comprising an illumination element for emitting a rangeof wavelengths within the visible and non-visible, ultravioletelectromagnetic spectrum for illuminating stains that are visible andnon-visible to the human eye. The light sensitive stain sensing systemcan further comprise a light reader for measuring reflectance values andtransmitting that data to a processor, which may trigger one or morepredefined response(s). A representative light sensitive stain sensorsystem is more fully disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,719,998 to Huffman,which is included herein by reference in its entirety.

In yet another example, an odor sensor 187 can comprise a gas sensor,and sensing methods can be based on electrochemical reactions betweenairborne odor particles and the sensor 187. The electrochemicalreactions can cause electrical variation within the sensor 187, whichcan comprise different materials such as a metal oxide semiconductor,polymer, carbon nanotubes, or moisture absorbing material. In oneexample, the gas sensor 187 can be configured to detect ammonia,hydrogen sulfide and methyl mercaptan (methanethiol). In still anotherexample, a wet mess sensor 188 can be a humidity sensor, such as acapacitive relative humidity sensor or a resistive humidity sensor.

The floor condition sensors provide input to the controller 128, whichmay direct operation of the dry vacuuming robot 100 based on thecondition of the surface to be cleaned, such as by selecting ormodifying a cleaning cycle. Furthermore, the dry vacuuming robot 100 maymark the location of a detected stain and the mapping/navigation systemcan store the location of the stain in the memory 168. For example, astain waypoint including the location of the stain relative to referencepoints such as the docking station 10 or the artificial barrier 20 canbe stored in the memory 168.

The dry vacuuming robot 100 can further include one or more wirelessradio(s) 190 operably coupled with the controller 128 and configured tocommunicate with other devices over a global, local, and/or personalarea network, for example. In one example, the dry vacuuming robot 100can share data, such as a room map or a stain waypoint with the deepcleaning robot 200 through the wireless radio 190. For instance, thewireless radio 190 can connect to a cloud server, and the cloud servercan contact the deep cleaning robot 200 and transfer the room map orstain waypoint data via a global WiFi network. Alternatively, thewireless radio 190 can connect the dry vacuuming robot 100 to the deepcleaning robot 200 over a wireless personal area network, such as aBluetooth, low energy connection.

The dry vacuuming robot 100 can further include one or more IRtransceiver(s) 192 for communicating with peripheral devices such as thedeep cleaning robot 200, docking station 10 and/or artificial barriersystem 20 (described below). The one or more IR transceiver(s) 192 onthe dry vacuuming robot 100 and corresponding transceivers on theassociated peripheral device can be set up on a frequency basedcommunication protocol such that each pair of associated IR transceivers192 can be configured to transfer distinct code sets, which can comprisea variety of different instructions with predefined responses.

For example, the dry vacuuming robot 100 can communicate with thedocking station via IR transceivers 192 during a robot homing process.The dry vacuuming robot 100 can initiate the homing process by turningon its IR transceivers 192 and searching for corresponding IR signalsemitted by transceivers on the docking station 10 that can be used toguide the dry vacuuming robot 100 to the dock 10, such as by emittingsignals to instruct the dry vacuuming robot 100 to maneuver left, rightor straight towards the dock.

In another example, the dry vacuuming robot 100 can communicate with thedeep cleaning robot 200 via corresponding IR transceivers 192, 292 (FIG.5). In this instance, the dry vacuuming robot 100 can emit an encodedsignal to the deep cleaning robot 200 to instruct the deep cleaningrobot 200 to follow the dry vacuuming robot 100 to a stain. The dryvacuuming robot 100 can then selectively emit signals for guiding thedeep cleaning robot 200 to the stain such as for instructing the deepcleaning robot 200 to maneuver left, right, or straight towards thestain.

The artificial barrier system 20 can include an artificial barriergenerator 50 that comprises a housing with at least one sonic receiver52 for receiving a sonic signal from the dry vacuuming robot 100 and atleast one IR transmitter 54 for emitting an encoded IR beam towards apredetermined direction for a predetermined period of time. Theartificial barrier generator 50 can be battery-powered by rechargeableor non-rechargeable batteries. In one embodiment, the sonic receiver 52can comprise a microphone configured to sense a predetermined thresholdsound level, which corresponds with the sound level emitted by the dryvacuuming robot 100 when it is within a predetermined distance away fromthe artificial barrier generator 50. Optionally, the artificial barriergenerator 50 can further comprise a plurality of IR emitters 54 near thebase of the housing configured to emit a plurality of short field IRbeams around the base of the artificial barrier generator 50 housing.The artificial barrier generator 50 can be configured to selectivelyemit one or more IR beam(s) for a predetermined period of time, but onlyafter the microphone senses the threshold sound level, which indicatesthe dry vacuuming robot 100 is nearby. Thus, the artificial barriergenerator 50 is able to conserve power by emitting IR beams only whendry vacuuming robot 100 is in the vicinity of the artificial barriergenerator 50.

The dry vacuuming robot 100 can have a plurality of IR transceivers 192around the perimeter of the unit 112 to sense the IR signals emittedfrom the artificial barrier generator 50 and output correspondingsignals to the controller 128, which can adjust drive wheel controlparameters to adjust the position of the dry vacuuming robot 100 toavoid the boundaries established by the artificial barrier 20 encoded IRbeam and the short field IR beams. This prevents the dry vacuuming robot100 from crossing the artificial barrier 20 boundary and/or collidingwith the artificial barrier generator 50 housing.

In operation, sound emitted from the dry vacuuming robot 100 greaterthan a predetermined threshold sound level can be sensed by themicrophone and triggers the artificial barrier generator 50 to emit oneor more encoded IR beam(s) as described previously for a predeterminedperiod of time. The IR transceivers 192 on the dry vacuuming robot 100sense the IR beams and output signals to the controller 128, which thenmanipulates the drive system to adjust the position of the dry vacuumingrobot 100 to avoid the border established by the artificial barriersystem 20 while continuing to perform a cleaning operation on thesurface to be cleaned.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of the autonomous deep cleaner or deepcleaning robot 200 of the system 8 of FIG. 1. The deep cleaning robot200 mounts the components of various functional systems of the deepcleaner in an autonomously moveable unit or housing 212, includingcomponents of a fluid supply system for storing cleaning fluid anddelivering the cleaning fluid to the surface to be cleaned, a fluidrecovery system for removing the cleaning fluid and debris from thesurface to be cleaned and storing the recovered cleaning fluid anddebris, and a drive system for autonomously moving the deep cleaningrobot 200 over the surface to be cleaned. The moveable unit 212 caninclude a main housing adapted to selectively mount components of thesystems to form the unitary movable device 212. The autonomous deepcleaner or deep cleaning robot can have similar properties to theautonomous deep cleaner or deep cleaning robot described in U.S. Pat.No. 7,320,149, published Jan. 22, 2008 and is incorporated herein byreference.

A controller 228 is operably coupled with the various function systemsof deep cleaning robot 200 for controlling its operation. The controller228 can be a microcontroller unit (MCU) that contains at least onecentral processing units (CPUs).

The deep cleaning robot 200 can include an RFID reader 213 for readingand interpreting signal from an RFID tag. The RFID reader can be mountedto the housing 212 of the deep cleaning robot 200 and can comprise oneor more scanning antennas and a transceiver with a decoder to interpretdata stored on an RFID tag. The scanning antenna is configured to emit asignal, such as radio waves, that communicates with an RFID tag, and canoptionally provide electromagnetic energy to power the RFID tag.

The fluid delivery system can include a supply tank 206 for storing asupply of cleaning fluid and a fluid distributor in fluid communicationwith the supply tank 206 for depositing a cleaning fluid onto thesurface. The cleaning fluid can be a liquid such as water or a cleaningsolution specifically formulated for carpet or hard surface cleaning.Turning to FIG. 5, the fluid distributor can be one or more spraynozzle(s) 207 provided on the housing of the unit 212. Alternatively,the fluid distributor can be a manifold having multiple outlets. A pumpmotor 205 is provided in the fluid pathway between the supply tank 206and the distributor 207 to control the flow of fluid to the distributor207. Various combinations of optional components can be incorporatedinto the fluid delivery system as is commonly known in the art, such asa heater for heating the cleaning fluid before it is applied to thesurface or one or more fluid control and/or mixing valve(s).

At least one agitator or brush 240 can be provided for agitating thesurface to be cleaned onto which fluid has been dispensed. The brush 240can be a brushroll mounted for rotation about a substantially horizontalaxis, relative to the surface over which the unit 212 moves. A driveassembly including a separate, dedicated brush motor 242 can be providedwithin the unit 212 to drive the brush 240. Alternatively, the brush 240can be driven by a vacuum motor. Other embodiments of agitators are alsopossible, including one or more stationary or non-moving brush(es), orone or more brush(es) that rotate about a substantially vertical axis.

The fluid recovery system can include an extraction path through theunit having an air inlet and an air outlet, an extraction or suctionnozzle 214 which is positioned to confront the surface to be cleaned anddefines the air inlet, a recovery tank 208 for receiving dirt and liquidremoved from the surface for later disposal, and a suction source 216 influid communication with the suction nozzle 214 and the recovery tank208 for generating a working air stream through the extraction path. Thesuction source 216 can be the vacuum motor carried by the unit 212,fluidly upstream of the air outlet, and can define a portion of theextraction path. The recovery tank 208 can also define a portion of theextraction path, and can comprise an air/liquid separator for separatingliquid from the working airstream. Optionally, a pre-motor filter and/ora post-motor filter (not shown) can be provided as well.

While not shown, a squeegee can be provided on the housing of the unit,adjacent the suction nozzle 214, and is configured to contact thesurface as the unit 212 moves across the surface to be cleaned. Thesqueegee can wipe residual liquid from the surface to be cleaned so thatit can be drawn into the fluid recovery pathway via the suction nozzle214, thereby leaving a moisture and streak-free finish on the surface tobe cleaned.

The drive system can include drive wheels 230 for driving the unit 212across a surface to be cleaned. The drive wheels 230 can be operated bya common drive motor or individual drive motors 231 coupled with thedrive wheels 230 by a transmission (not shown), which may include a geartrain assembly or another suitable transmission. The drive system canreceive inputs from the controller 228 for driving the unit 212 across afloor, based on inputs from the dry vacuuming robot 100, as described infurther detail below. The drive wheels 230 can be driven in in a forwardor reverse direction in order to move the unit 212 forwardly orrearwardly. Furthermore, the drive wheels 230 can be operatedsimultaneously or individually in order to turn the unit 212 in adesired direction.

The controller 228 can receive input from the navigation/mapping systemand/or the stain sensing system of the dry vacuuming robot 100 fordirecting the drive system to move the deep cleaning robot 200 over thesurface to be cleaned. The deep cleaning robot 200 can include a memory268 that stores inputs from the dry vacuuming robot 100 and varioussensors on the deep cleaning robot 200, which is used to guide themovement of the deep cleaning robot 200. For example, wheel encoders 272can be placed on the drive shafts of the wheel motors 231, and areconfigured to measure the distance traveled. This measurement can beprovided as input to the controller 228.

Motor drivers 203, 246, 244, 248 can be provided for controlling thepump motor 205, brush motor 242, vacuum motor 216, and wheel motors 231and acts as an interface between the controller and the motors. Themotor drivers may be an integrated circuit chip (IC). For the wheelmotors 231, one motor driver can controller the motors simultaneously.

The motor drivers 203, 246, 244, 248 for the pump motor 205, brush motor242, vacuum motor 216, and wheel motors 231, respectively, can beelectrically coupled to a battery management system 250 which caninclude a rechargeable battery or battery pack 252. In one example, thebattery pack 252 can include lithium ion batteries. Charging contactsfor the battery pack 252 can be provided on the exterior of the unit212. The docking station 10 for receiving the unit 212 for charging canbe provided with corresponding charging contacts. In one example, thebattery pack 252 of the deep cleaning robot 200 can be removable andinterchangeable with the battery pack 152 of the dry vacuuming robot100. In another example, alternative or supplemental charging contactscan be provided on the deep cleaning robot 200 in the form of anelectrical connector such as a DC jack 254 for recharging the batterypack 252 while the deep cleaning robot 200 is undocked.

The controller 228 is further operably coupled with a user interface 224(UI) for receiving inputs from a user. The user interface 224 can beused to select an operation cycle for the deep cleaning robot 200 orotherwise control the operation of the deep cleaning robot 200. The userinterface 224 can have a display 256, such as an LED display, labeledindicator lights, or illuminated icons for providing visualnotifications to the user. Examples of visual notifications includeindications of operational status and diagnostic information such asbattery 252 and/or filter life status, fluid supply status, recoverytank level, WiFi or Bluetooth connectivity status, and variousadditional error and fault codes. A display driver 258 can be providedfor controlling the display 256, and acts as an interface between thecontroller 228 and the display 256. The display driver 258 may be anintegrated circuit chip (IC).

The user interface 224 can further have one or more switch(es) 226 thatare actuated by the user to provide input to the controller 228 tocontrol the operation of various components of the deep cleaning robot200. For example, one of the switches 226 may be configured to returnthe deep cleaning robot 200 to the docking station 10, adjust flowrateor suction level, or pause operation, for example. A switch driver 225can be provided for controlling the switch 226, and acts as an interfacebetween the controller 228 and the switch 226.

The deep cleaning robot 200 can use the speaker 160 of the dry vacuumingrobot (FIG. 3) to provide audible notifications to the user. Examples ofaudible notifications include announcements such as beeps, tones or aprerecorded voice. It is also possible that the deep cleaning robot 200is be provided with its own speaker. Alternatively, the deep cleaningrobot 200 and the dry vacuuming robot 100 can be wirelessly connected toa smart speaker device that includes a skill to enable the robots 100,200 to communicate together as well as to communicate audiblenotifications to the user.

The controller 228 can further be operably coupled with various sensorsfor receiving input about the environment and can use the sensor inputto control the operation of the deep cleaning robot 200. The sensorinput can further be stored in the memory 268 and/or transmitted to thedry vacuuming robot 100. Some exemplary sensors are illustrated in FIG.5, although it is understood that not all sensors shown may be provided,additional sensors not shown may be provided, and that the sensors canbe provided in any combination.

The deep cleaning robot 200 can have fewer sensors than the dryvacuuming robot 100, since the deep cleaning robot 200 can use inputsfrom the sensors on the dry vacuuming robot 100 rather than generatingits own inputs. Some of the sensors that are provided on the deepcleaning robot 200 can be part of a positioning or localization systemdetermining the position of the deep cleaning robot 200 relative toobjects. For example, the localization system can include one or moreinfrared (IR) obstacle sensor(s) 270 for distance and position sensing.The obstacle sensors 270 can be mounted to the housing of the autonomousunit 212, such as in the front of unit 212 to determine the distance toobstacles in front of the deep cleaning robot 200. Input from theobstacle sensors 270 can be used to slow down and/or adjust the courseof the unit 212 when objects are detected.

Bump sensors 274 can also be provided for determining front or sideimpacts to the unit 212. The bump sensors 274 can be integrated with abumper on the housing of the unit 212. Output signals from the bumpsensors 274 provide inputs to the controller 228 for selecting anobstacle avoidance algorithm.

In addition to the obstacle 270 and bump 274 sensors, the localizationsystem can optionally include additional sensors for providing input notalready provided by sensors on the dry vacuuming robot 100, includingone or more cliff sensor(s) 280 and/or lift-up sensor(s) 282. The cliffsensors 280 can be bottom-facing optical position sensors that providedistance feedback and control the unit 212 so that the unit 212 canavoid excessive drops such as stairwells or ledges. In addition tooptical sensors, the cliff sensors 280 can be mechanical or ultrasonicsensors. The lift-up sensors 282 detect when the unit 212 is lifted offthe surface to be cleaned, such as when the user picks up the deepcleaning robot 200. This information is provided as an input to thecontroller 228, which will halt operation of the pump motor 205, brushmotor 242, vacuum motor 216, and wheel motors 231. The lift-up sensorsmay also detect when the unit is in contact with the surface to becleaned, such as when the user places the robot back on the ground; uponsuch input, the controller may resume operation of the pump motor 205,brush motor 242, vacuum motor 216, and wheel motors 231. It is notedthat additional sensors may also be provided, such as one or more sidewall sensors or an accelerometer as described above for the dryvacuuming robot 100.

While not shown, the deep cleaning robot 200 can optionally include oneor more sensor(s) for detecting the presence of the supply tank 206 andthe recovery tank 208. For example, one or more pressure sensor(s) fordetecting the weight of the supply tank 206 and the recovery tank 208can be provided. This information is provided as an input to thecontroller 228, which can prevent operation of the deep cleaning robot200 until the supply tank 206 and recovery tank 208 are properlyinstalled. The controller 228 may also direct the display 256 to providea notification to the user that the supply tank 206 or recovery tank 208is missing.

The deep cleaning robot 200 can further include one or more wirelessradio(s) 290 operably coupled with the controller 228 and configured tocommunicate with other devices over a wireless global, local, and/orpersonal area network, such as a Bluetooth connection, for example. Inone example, the deep cleaning robot 200 can receive data from the dryvacuuming robot 100, such as a full or partial room map, a stainwaypoint, status, results, cleaning schedule, and/or other instructionsfor maneuvering to a desired location, through the wireless radio 290.

The deep cleaning robot 200 can further include one or more IRtransceiver(s) 292 for communicating with peripheral devices such as thedry vacuuming robot 100, docking station 10 and/or artificial barriersystem 20. The one or more IR transceiver(s) 292 on the deep cleaningrobot 200 and corresponding transceivers (i.e. IR transceivers 192) onthe associated peripheral device (i.e. the dry vacuuming robot 100) canbe set up on a frequency based communication protocol such that eachpair of associated IR transceivers 292, 192 can be configured totransfer distinct code sets, which can comprise a variety of differentinstructions with predefined responses. For example, the correspondingpairs of IR transceivers 292, 192 can be configured to guide the deepcleaning robot 200 to the docking station 10 or to a specific locationfor cleaning a stain, to confine the deep cleaning robot 200 within aspecified area, or enable the deep cleaning robot 200 to follow the dryvacuuming robot 100 to a desired location.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view depicting a method of operation using thesystem 8. The method can begin with the operation of the dry vacuumingrobot 100 to vacuum clean a floor surface 18. For example, the dryvacuuming robot 100 may traverse a first path 16 on the floor surface18, it may begin as illustrated in position 100A.

The dry vacuuming robot 100 can include the stain sensing system fordetecting a stain 26 while traveling along the first path 16. Forexample, the dry vacuuming robot 100 may detect at least one stain 26 onthe floor surface 18 using one or more of the floor condition sensor(s),including the IR dirt sensor 185, stain sensor 186, odor sensor 187,and/or wet mess sensor 188 (FIG. 3). Such a detection position isillustrated at position 100B. The exemplary sensors can detect the sizeand/or shape of the stain 26, the type of stain 26 (ex: food, wine, reddye, soil, or pet or other organic stain) and also the floor surface 18type (ex: carpet, tile, hardwood, linoleum, etc.). Examples of floorcondition sensors are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,613,261, 8,719,998,WO2017/032718A1, and WO2017/016813A1, all of which are incorporatedherein by reference in their entirety.

The dry vacuuming robot 100 can include the navigation system configuredfor guiding movement of the deep cleaning robot 200 to the stain 26along a path that is distinct from the first path 16. A path distinctfrom the first path 16 can include a path that includes a differentroute or course than the first path 16. For example, the dry vacuumingrobot 100 can communicate the information about the stain 26 and floorsurface 18 to the deep cleaning robot 200 via the wireless radios 190(FIG. 3), 290 (FIG. 5). Alternatively, the dry vacuuming robot 100 canuse the information about the stain 26 and floor surface 18 to determinea cleaning cycle appropriate for the stain 26, and can send instructionsto the deep cleaning robot 200 to carry out the cleaning cycle via thewireless radios 190, 290. Further still, a path distinct from the firstpath 16 can include a path that is the same as the first path but occursat a different time such that the deep cleaning robot 200 does notmerely follow behind the dry vacuuming robot 100. It is contemplatedthat the deep cleaning robot 200 can be guided along a path that isdistinct from the path taken by the dry vacuuming robot 100 in bothtime, route, starting destination, waypoints along the course, etc.

The dry vacuuming robot 100 can also mark the location of the stain. Forexample, the dry vacuuming robot 100 can remain at or near the stain 26and instruct the deep cleaning robot to 200 maneuver to that location.

In another example, the dry vacuuming robot 100 can deploy a reusablephysical marker, such as a wireless beacon 24, on or near the stain 26to mark its location, which the deep cleaning robot 200 can use tolocate the stain 26 for eventual deep cleaning. This has beenillustrated in FIG. 6. The beacon 24 can be operably coupled to the deepcleaning robot 200 controller 228 such that the beacon 24 can guide thedeep cleaning robot 200 to the location of the stain 26.

In one example, the beacon 24 can emit a signal such as radio-frequency(RF) signals, which may be omnidirectional or directed signals, forguiding the deep cleaning robot 200 to the target location.Alternatively, the beacon 24 can emit pulsed light signals, which cancomprise wavelengths in the visible or near-visible electromagneticspectrum, for guiding the deep cleaning robot 200 to the targetlocation.

In one example, the wireless beacon 24 can comprise a radio-frequencyidentification (RFID) tag (not shown) for transmitting a signal, and thedeep cleaning robot 200 RFID reader 213 (FIG. 4) can read and interpretthe signal from the RFID tag. The RFID reader can use the signal fromthe RFID tag to monitor the position of the RFID tag and to guide thedeep cleaning robot 200 to the target location marked by the beacon 24.Alternatively, the dry vacuuming cleaning robot 100 can comprise an RFIDreader and the dry vacuuming robot 100 can guide the deep cleaning robot200 to the target location marked by the beacon 24 via wireless radios190, 290.

The RFID tag can comprise a transponder with an integrated circuit andan antenna for receiving electromagnetic energy from signals emitted bythe RFID reader 213 and for transmitting signals back to the reader 213.The RFID tag can be attached or molded into a substrate such as aplastic chip or Mylar film, for example. The RFID tag can furthercomprise a passive or active configuration. An active RFID tag containsan on-board power source such as a battery, whereas a passive RFID tagdoes not include a power source and instead harvests power fromelectromagnetic fields emitted by the scanning antenna(s) of the RFIDtag reader 213. The primary difference between an active and passiveRFID tag is the signal broadcast range. The signal broadcast range foran active RFID tag can generally range from about 100-300 feet; muchlarger than the typical range for a passive RFID tag, which isapproximately up to 20 feet.

The dry vacuuming robot 100 can further comprise a deployment system fordeploying the beacon 24 at a target location. The beacon deploymentsystem can store one or more beacons 24 on the dry vacuuming robot 100,and can selectively deploy a beacon 24 at a target location, such as atthe stain 26. The deployment system can comprise the beacon retainer 101(FIG. 2), which can be configured to retrieve an already deployed beacon24 or secure a beacon to the dry vacuuming robot and can selectivelyrelease the beacon at a desired target location. The retainer 101 cancomprise a mechanical coupling, such as a hook, clamp, or magneticcoupling, for example. Some examples of beacon deployment systems arediscussed below with reference to FIGS. 11-13.

Alternatively, the location of the stain 26 along with otherenvironmental features such as location of walls 19 and objects,temperature, floor type, etc., can be stored relative to an internalcoordinate system built from the dry vacuuming robot starting position.

After the dry vacuuming robot 100 marks the location of the stain 26,the deep cleaning robot 200 is led to the stain 26. For example, if thedry vacuuming robot 100 marks the location of the stain 26 by remainingat the stain, the dry vacuuming robot 100 can emit an infrared signalthat the deep cleaning robot 200 can follow using an infraredsignal-follow algorithm stored in the memory 268 of the deep cleaningrobot 200.

Turning to FIG. 7, if the dry vacuuming robot 100 has deployed thebeacon 24, such as a passive RFID tag for example, the dry vacuumingrobot 100 can communicate with the deep cleaning robot 200, instructingit to travel to the beacon 24, as illustrated by path 17A, which isdistinct from path 16, and perform a predetermined deep cleaningoperation. Electromagnetic fields emitted by the deep cleaning robot'sRFID reader 213 power up the RFID tag of the beacon 24, which can thenemit a signal back to the RFID reader 213 of the deep cleaning robot200. The RFID reader 213 receives and interprets the signal and provideslocation information to the controller 228 of the deep cleaning robot200, which then directs the deep cleaning robot 200 to the location ofthe beacon 24.

In another example, if the dry vacuuming robot 100 has saved thelocation of the stain to 26 its memory 168, the dry vacuuming robot 100can send, or emit, a series of navigation instructions, or directions,to the deep cleaning robot 200 for the deep cleaning robot 200 to guidethe movement of the deep cleaning robot to travel to the stain (i.e.forward for 4 wheel revolutions, left turn 30 degrees, forward for 8wheel revolutions, stop). The deep cleaning robot 200 can receive thedirections while at the docking station 10. Alternatively, instead ofproviding a set of fixed instructions, the dry vacuuming robot 100 canmonitor the location of the deep cleaning robot 200 and provide dynamicnavigation instructions (i.e. go forward, turn right, go forward, slowdown, stop).

Once at the stain, as illustrated in FIG. 8, the deep cleaning robot 200can perform the cycle of operation sent by the dry vacuuming robot 100.The cycle of operation can include a particular movement pattern,solution amount, solution dwell time, brush operation time, and/orextraction time that is appropriate for the stain 26. Examples ofmovement patterns include: (a) a circular pattern about a set pointbetween the wheels 230; (b) an outward increasing spiral pattern with anoptional overlap between passes to achieve a desired coverage diameter;(c) a straight forward/back pattern, with an optional overlap betweenpasses to achieve a desired coverage width; (d) a forward/back patternmoving transversely around a circle; and (e) any combination of thepreceding patterns. The movement pattern can also have one or moreperiod(s) of no movement to let the cleaning fluid dwell on the stain 26for a period of time.

As the deep cleaning robot 200 is executing the movement pattern, thespray, extraction, and brush features can selectively be engagedaccording to the cycle of operation. As an example, the cleaning patterncan be spray and brush first, followed by a dwell time, followed byextraction. Brush speed and spray flow rate can further be selectivelyadjusted throughout the cleaning cycle.

Alternatively, the deep cleaning robot 200 can use the information aboutthe stain 26 and floor surface 18 type determined by the dry vacuumingrobot 100 to clean the stain 26 accordingly. For example, the deepcleaning robot 200 can select a particular movement pattern, solutionamount, solution dwell time, brush operation time, and/or extractiontime that is appropriate for the stain 26 and floor surface 18 type.

During operation of the dry vacuuming robot 100, the dry vacuuming robot100 may detect, or locate, more than one stain on the floor surface 18.The dry vacuuming robot 100 can be configured to deploy a set of beacons24 for multiple stains 26. The system 8 can be configured to deploy thedeep cleaning robot 200 to treat each stain 26 as one is located, or acompiled list of stains 26 can be logged by the dry vacuuming robot 100,and once dry vacuuming is complete, the deep cleaning robot 200 can bedeployed to treat each stain 26 in a sequential order.

It is noted that the user can have the option of using the deep cleaningrobot 200 alone to treat a stain 26. For example, a user may identify astain 26 without using the dry vacuuming robot 100, and may carry thedeep cleaning robot 200 to the stain 26 and initiate a cleaning cycle totreat the stain 26. In another embodiment, the user can lead the deepcleaning robot 200 to a stain 26 using an IR pointer (not shown) thatemits an infrared signal that the deep cleaning robot 200 can followusing an infrared signal-follow algorithm stored in the memory 268 ofthe deep cleaning robot 200. In yet another example, the user can sendor otherwise input navigation instructions to the deep cleaning robot200 to travel to the stain 26.

Turning to FIG. 9, the deep cleaning robot 200 can be configured toretrieve the beacon 24. For example, the deep cleaning robot 200 caninclude a beacon retainer 235 that is configured to retrieve the beacon24. The retainer 235 can comprise a mechanical coupling, such as a hook,clamp, or magnetic coupling, for example. The deep cleaning robot 200can retrieve the beacon 24 upon completion of a cleaning cycle to treatthe stain 26 as illustrated in position 200D. Alternatively, the deepcleaning robot 200 can retrieve the beacon 24 prior to completion of acleaning cycle to treat the stain 26. Alternatively, the dry vacuumingrobot 100 can retrieve the beacon 24 instead of the deep cleaning robot200. For example, the dry vacuuming robot 100 can retrieve the beacon 24while the deep cleaning robot 200 completes the cleaning cycle ofoperation to treat the stain 26. As previously described, the beacondeployment system of the dry vacuuming robot 100 can be configured toretrieve an already deployed beacon 24.

FIG. 10 is a schematic illustration of the deep cleaning robot 200Ereturning to the dock 10 upon completion of a cleaning cycle in a robothoming process, as illustrated in path 17B. The controller 228 (FIG. 5)can receive input from the navigation/mapping system and/or the stainsensing system of the dry vacuuming robot 100 for directing the drivesystem to move the deep cleaning robot 200E to the dock 10, such thatthe deep cleaning robot is in a docked position 200F. Alternatively, thedeep cleaning robot 200 memory 268 (FIG. 5) can store inputs from thedry vacuuming robot 100 and various sensors on the deep cleaning robot200, to guide the deep cleaning robot 200 to the dock 10. It is alsopossible for the robot 200 to turn on its IR transceivers 292 (FIG. 5)and search for corresponding IR signals emitted by transceivers 11 (FIG.9) on the docking station 10 that can be used to guide the deep cleaningrobot 200 to docking position 200F, such as by emitting signals toinstruct the deep cleaning robot 200 to maneuver left, right or straighttowards the dock 10.

FIG. 11A is a schematic illustration of one example of a beacondeployment system for the dry vacuuming robot 100. In FIG. 11A, theretainer 101 (FIG. 2) can comprise a hook 193 on the dry vacuuming robot100 that is configured to catch a corresponding recess, or slot 27,formed in the beacon 24. FIG. 11A illustrates the beacon in a retainedposition. An actuator, such as a solenoid piston 194, can be configuredto selectively push or drop the beacon 24 off the hook 193 and onto atarget location, which is illustrated in FIG. 11B. The target locationcan include on, or near the stain 26 (FIG. 6).

FIG. 12 is a schematic illustration of another example of a beacondeployment system for the dry vacuuming robot 100. In FIG. 12, theretainer 101 (FIG. 2) can comprise a clamp 196, further comprising apair of arms 198 pivotally mounted to the housing 112 of the dryvacuuming robot 100 and configured to selectively clamp and unclamp thebeacon 24. The arms 198 can be mounted to a vertically oriented pivotpin 197 and operably connected to solenoid actuators 195 configured topivot the arms 198 inwardly to clamp the beacon 24 and outwardly torelease and deploy the beacon 24.

FIG. 13 is a schematic illustration of another example of a beacondeployment system for the dry vacuuming robot 100. In FIG. 13, theretainer 101 (FIG. 2) can comprise a magnetic coupling on the dryvacuuming robot 100 configured to attract and retain a magnetized beacon24 having one or more magnets 28, and to selectively repel the beacon 24to deploy it at a target location. In one configuration, the magneticcoupling on the dry vacuuming robot can comprise one or moreelectromagnets 199 configured to selectively reverse polarity to repeland deploy the magnetized beacon 24.

FIG. 14 is a schematic illustration of another example of an autonomousfloor cleaning system according to various aspects described herein. Thesystem can be substantially identical to the system 8, except that inthe present example, a deep cleaning robot 2200 is provided with anavigation/mapping system 2268, which may be substantially identical tothe navigation/mapping system 168 described for the dry vacuuming robot100. As previously described, a dry vacuuming robot 1100 includes acontroller 1128 that can receive input from and control variouscomponents of the dry vacuuming robot 1100, such as a vacuum collectionsystem 1111, a drive system 1113, and a navigation/mapping system 1168.Likewise, the deep cleaning robot 2200 includes a controller 2228 thatcan receive input from and control various components of the deepcleaning robot 2200, such as a fluid supply system 2210, a drive system2213, and a fluid recovery system 2212. In this example, the dryvacuuming robot 1100 can generate and share a map 40 to one or morestain location(s) with the deep cleaning robot 2000. Stain detection canstill be performed by the dry vacuuming robot 1000, and stain/floorinformation detected by a stain sensing system 1186 may be transferredfrom the dry vacuuming cleaner 1100 to the deep cleaning robot 2200 aspreviously described. Here, the dry vacuuming robot 1100 can send themap 40, or stain waypoint, to the deep cleaning robot 2200 and the deepcleaning robot 2200 can guide itself to the stain location(s). While notshown, the docking station 10 and artificial barrier 20 may be includedin the system 8.

FIG. 15 is a schematic illustration of another example of an autonomousfloor cleaning system 2008 according to various aspects describedherein. The system 2008 may be substantially identical to the system 8,except that the system includes a personal communication device 2300 incommunication with one or both of a dry vacuuming robot 2100 and a deepcleaning robot 2200. The personal communication device 2300 can include,but is not limited to, a mobile communication device such as a smartphone or tablet, or a personal computer such as a laptop. While notshown, the docking station 10 and artificial barrier 20 may be includedin the system 2008.

In one example, the communication device 2300 can include a softwareprogram or app that contains a map of the user's floor. The map can begenerated by the dry vacuuming robot 2100 using a dead reckoningprocess, bump sensor impacts, a long range distance sensing process,triangulation, or any combination thereof. Via the app, the user canselect locations to be cleaned by one or both of the robots 2100, 2200,and may further input information or make selections regarding thecleaning cycle to be implemented.

In another example in which the communication device 2300 includes acamera, the user can take an image of a stain 26 (FIG. 6) on the floorsurface 18 and the app can use the image to control one or both of therobots 2100, 2200 to clean the stain 26. The app can further beconfigured to locate the communication device 2300 relative to the map,and can target the stain 26 when the communication device 2300 is heldabove the stain 26. The app can be configured to allow the user tosketch the boundary of the stain 26 in the image, which can help the appdetermine the exact location and size of the stain 26.

In yet another example, the communication device 2300 can be coupledwith a sensor on another consumer product, such as an upright vacuumcleaner, and the sensor can provide stain information to thecommunication device 2300, which in turn can send the information to thedeep cleaning robot 200 to treat stains.

In still another example, the communication device 2300 can be coupledwith a dry vacuuming robot 2100 and the deep cleaning robot 2200. Thedry vacuuming robot 2100 can transmit stain information, including forexample a stain waypoint stored in the map 40, detected by a stainsensing system 1186 to the communication device 2300. A user can thendetermine whether to take further action, such as deploying the deepcleaning robot 2200 to the stain, or manually cleaning the stain, forexample.

FIG. 16 is a flow chart depicting another example of a method ofoperation using the system 8. The dry vacuuming robot 100 can beconfigured to detect an abnormality, such as a wet spot or liquid spill,a color change, an odor change, or a heavily soiled area on the floorsurface 18. Because the dry vacuuming robot 100 is not configured tocollect liquid, suctioning up liquid has the potential to damage thevacuum motor 116. During operation 400, if the dry vacuuming robot 100detects such an abnormality 410, the deep cleaning robot 200 can bedeployed to take appropriate action 420. In the case of a liquid spill,this may include suctioning up the liquid via the suction inlet 214 toclear the way for the dry vacuuming robot 100 to resume its operation.The deployment of the deep cleaning robot 200 to address an abnormalitycan be substantially similar to any example of the deployment of thedeep cleaning robot 2000 to treat a stain, as described above.

Benefits of aspects described herein can include an autonomous floorcleaning system where a primary robot comprises full mapping,navigation, and stain sensing technology and hardware. A secondary robothowever, can be a less intelligent robot without those features, andinstead is configured to leverage the mapping, navigation, and stainsensing of the primary robot. This offers an advantageous autonomousfloor cleaning system with a greater range of cleaning capabilities,while avoiding duplication of certain components, and therefore providesa lower cost solution compared to two full-feature robots.

While various embodiments illustrated herein show an autonomous orrobotic cleaner, aspects of the invention may be used on other types offloor cleaners, including non-autonomous cleaners. For example, the dryvacuuming cleaner could be embodied as a non-autonomous vacuum cleanerthat is used to locate and detect stains, where the deep cleaning robotis selectively deployed when a stain is detected as a user is vacuuming.

To the extent not already described, the different features andstructures of the various embodiments of the robots may be used incombination with each other as desired. That one feature may not beillustrated in all of the embodiments is not meant to be construed thatit cannot be, but is done for brevity of description. Thus, the variousfeatures of the different embodiments of the robots may be mixed andmatched as desired to form new embodiments, whether or not the newembodiments are expressly described. For example, the deep cleaningrobot can be the primary, more intelligent robot and the dry vacuumingrobot can be the secondary, less intelligent robot.

While the invention has been specifically described in connection withcertain specific embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that thisis by way of illustration and not of limitation. Reasonable variationand modification are possible with the scope of the foregoing disclosureand drawings without departing from the spirit of the invention which,is defined in the appended claims. Hence, specific dimensions and otherphysical characteristics relating to the embodiments disclosed hereinare not to be considered as limiting, unless the claims expressly stateotherwise.

What is claimed is:
 1. An autonomous floor cleaning system, comprising:a first floor cleaning robot, comprising: a drive system forautonomously moving the first floor cleaning robot over a surface to becleaned; a stain sensing system for detecting a stain; and a beacondeployment system for selectively deploying a beacon at a location ofthe stain; a second floor cleaning robot, comprising: a controller forcontrolling operation of the second floor cleaning robot; and a drivesystem for autonomously moving the second floor cleaning robot over thesurface to be cleaned based on inputs from the controller; and whereinthe first floor cleaning robot is configured to detect the stain via thestain sensing system and deploy the beacon at the location of the stainand the beacon is operably coupled to the controller such that thebeacon guides the second floor cleaning robot to the location of thestain.
 2. The autonomous floor cleaning system of claim 1 wherein thestain sensing system includes a stain sensor that is any one of a colorspectrum image sensor, a light reader, and IR dirt sensor, an odorsensor, or a wet mess sensor to detect a size, shape, or type of stain.3. The autonomous floor cleaning system of claim 1 wherein the beaconcomprises a radio-frequency identification tag.
 4. The autonomous floorcleaning system of claim 3 wherein the second floor cleaning robotcomprises a radio-frequency identification reader for reading andinterpreting a signal from the radio-frequency identification tag on thebeacon to guide the second floor cleaning robot to the location of thestain.
 5. The autonomous floor cleaning system of claim 3 wherein thefirst floor cleaning robot comprises a radio-frequency identificationreader for reading and interpreting signal from the radio-frequencyidentification tag on the beacon and the first floor cleaning robotguides the second floor cleaning robot to the location of the stain. 6.The autonomous floor cleaning system of claim 1 wherein the beacondeployment system stores one or more beacons on the first floor cleaningrobot.
 7. The autonomous floor cleaning system of claim 6 wherein thebeacon deployment system comprises a beacon retainer to secure andselectively release a beacon.
 8. The autonomous floor cleaning system ofclaim 7 wherein the beacon retainer further comprises a hook configuredto catch a slot on the beacon and an actuator configured to selectivelypush the beacon off the hook.
 9. The autonomous floor cleaning system ofclaim 7 wherein the beacon retainer further comprises a clamp configuredto selectively retain the beacon.
 10. The autonomous floor cleaningsystem of claim 7 wherein the beacon retainer further compriseselectromagnets configured to selectively reverse polarity of magnets onthe beacon to repel the beacon.
 11. The autonomous floor cleaning systemof claim 1 wherein the first floor cleaning robot instructs the secondfloor cleaning robot to perform a cycle of operation to clean the stain.12. The autonomous floor cleaning system of claim 11 wherein the firstfloor cleaning robot and the second floor cleaning robot each include awireless radio and the first floor cleaning robot communicatesinstructions to the second floor cleaning robot to perform the cycle ofoperation to clean the stain via the wireless radios.
 13. The autonomousfloor cleaning system of claim 11 wherein the first floor cleaning robotuses information from the stain sensing system to determine a type ofstain and a floor surface type to determine a cleaning cycle appropriatefor the stain.
 14. The autonomous floor cleaning system of claim 1wherein the first floor cleaning robot is configured to detect, locateand deploy a set of beacons for multiple stains.
 15. The autonomousfloor cleaning system of claim 14 wherein the second floor cleaningrobot treats each stain in sequential order when the first floorcleaning robot is not in operation.
 16. The autonomous floor cleaningsystem of claim 1 wherein one of the first floor cleaning robot or thesecond floor cleaning robot further comprises a beacon retainerconfigured to retrieve the beacon from the surface to be cleaned. 17.The autonomous floor cleaning system of claim 1 wherein the first floorcleaning robot is a dry cleaning robot and the second floor cleaningrobot is a wet cleaning robot.
 18. The autonomous floor cleaning systemof claim 17 wherein the dry cleaning robot further comprises a suctionnozzle, a working air path, and a suction source in fluid communicationwith the suction nozzle for generating a working air stream through theworking air path.
 19. The autonomous floor cleaning system of claim 17wherein the wet cleaning robot further comprises a fluid delivery systemadapted to store a cleaning fluid and deliver the cleaning fluid to thesurface to be cleaned.
 20. The autonomous floor cleaning system of claim19 wherein the wet cleaning robot further comprises a fluid recoverysystem for removing the cleaning fluid and debris from the surface to becleaned and storing the recovered cleaning fluid and the debris.